wedge politics

Pick some minority of the population that your opponents have some connection with. Prefeably this group should have some kind of stereotype about them so that disaffected voters can hate them or can be made to hate them.

Associate your opponents with the minority group, thus undermining their reputation. Your opponents are faced with two options: either disown the minority (and possibly in the process undermine their own party line), or face political oblivion

Romp home to an election victory.

The concept, although quite general, seems to have got its modern impetus and name (though sources are ambiguous) from Lee Atwater, a former advisor to George Bush Sr in 1988. In that particular case, Michael Dukakis was accused of being "soft on crime".

In recent history, John Howard has become a master of the art of the wedge. He has won three elections on the trot using it -- the first in 1996, where the minority were welfare recipients; in 1999, when the wedge issue was Kooris' rights to native title and the Wik decision; and in 2001, where boat people and refugees were the minority in question.